Briefing on the European Parliament meeting on the case of Eritreans refugees deported to Libya

The European Parliamentary Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on Tuesday 13th June held a debate on the case of Eritreans refugees deported to Libya.  The issue has been raised as a matter of urgency by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from the Green party who were quite proactive during the debate. The new Director General for Home Affairs, Mr. Stefano Manservisi was present on behalf of Commissioner of Home Affairs, Ms. Cecilia Malmström.

Participants of the debate welcomed the public official announcement asserting that the Eritrean refugees will be set free. However, even with this positive news, it must be borne in mind that it is only a “temporary” solution which requires monitoring in the future. This is not a final solution for the refugees.

The current migration agreement between Italy and Libya has been contested by most MEPs who also raised strong criticism against the Eritrea and Libya regimes.

Eritrea has been named by Judith Sargentini, MEP in the Green European Party, “the North Korea of Africa … a country where everybody does military service until they are 40, a country where on a daily basis people who are the citizens or would like to be citizens see their basic rights violated”.

"Either we respect human rights or we don’t".

MEP Rui Tavares, also in the Green Party, warned the European Parliament and the European Commission that the EU has to remain vigilant on the ongoing Eritrean refugee situation in Libya. In addition, the Eritreans that manage to gain employment from the Libyan government should not be seen as economic migrants; they should have a right to asylum in Europe. Mr. Tavares also shed light on the fact the EU is not respecting its obligations under international and humanitarian laws.

Following these condemnations, Mr. Stefano Manservisi asserted that the Italian-Libyan agreement is in perfect conformity with EU laws and stated that there was no evidence that those people were “refoulés” by other member states such as Italy. He stated that because Europe has no information on where these people were seized.

Manservisi emphasised the need to stay pragmatic and stressed that the discussion was on political relations with Libya, not about the implementation of any laws or agreements. The Director General suggested making pressures on one pillar of the EU-Africa Joint Strategy and Partnership. The EU-Africa summit in November of this year should also be an opportunity for the EU to stand for refugee rights in Libya.

Information on EU-Eritrean relations can also be found on Mr. Andris Piebalgs' blog, the European Commissioner for Development. Click here